Maryland: Court Shields Abortion Clinic Applicants

By The Associated Press

Feb. 22, 2016

The Court of Appeals, Maryland’s highest court, said Monday that the state can keep secret the names of applicants for abortion clinic licenses. The court ruled on an appeal filed by Andrew Glenn of the anti-abortion group Maryland Coalition for Life. Mr. Glenn sought the names under Maryland’s Public Information Act, arguing that disclosure would help protect women from operators with checkered safety records. The unanimous opinion upheld lower court rulings that withholding the names is necessary for public safety. It noted a history of violence toward abortion providers. Mr. Glenn argued that courts in Illinois, Kansas and Minnesota had ordered names released. The Maryland court said those cases had been decided before violence against abortion clinics escalated.